Page 13 of Queen of the Underworld

And by the gods, she had been glad of it when her mother had suddenly announced her betrothal to Aristaeus.

She gazed at the forest that surrounded her, one filled with life and colour. It had taken years of work to create this place, sneaking off whenever her mother wasn’t looking. If her mother knew about it and what she was doing, she would be locked in her room and kept under guard for the rest of her days—or at least until her low position in Olympus was secured with her marriage. Sometimes, she had to make herself leave this forest and return to Olympus before her mother sat down for dinner and realised she was missing.

Persephone scoffed. “Ifshe noticed I was missing. Sometimes I wonder if she would. If I made a home for myself here, would she even care?”

Her heart grew heavy at the thought her mother might not care that she was gone, that she might even be happy to be rid of her.

She huffed at that. “If I was gone, who would Mother order around? The servants certainly would not allow her to control them as she controls my every action.”

Or they might.

Demeter had picked her servants from the lowest classes, selecting desperate females who would do anything to retain their position and scant wages.

It was tempting to remain here, but she couldn’t do it. Her mother would notice she was gone, and the whole household would suffer for it. There was nothing quite like her mother when she was in a mood. She somehow managed to grow more tyrannical.

Persephone scowled and mentally berated herself for thinking of her mother in such a fashion. Her mother had her faults, but she felt sure that somewhere deep inside her, Demeter did love her.

She sighed as she took in the forest, deeply aware she couldn’t stay here, even when she wanted it. Her mother would find her, and she would destroy this sanctuary in order to force Persephone to return to Olympus.

She didn’t want to lose this place, and she knew it wasn’t only because she had created it and enjoyed using her powers over nature when her life in Olympus rarely called for it. The only time someone asked her for help was when they wanted their garden improved before a feast. It didn’t really help her confidence. Other goddesses went off to fight wars and she was called upon to summon flowers and maybe ensure the grain harvest was bountiful so those in Olympus could have bread and other things.

Another long sigh escaped her.

Lamenting her life wasn’t going to change it.

Only she had the power to do that.

Maybe when she returned to Olympus today, she would speak with her mother and set her straight, informing her that she wasn’t going to marry the dreaded Aristaeus.

And maybe the deer across the way that was eyeing her would suddenly sprout wings and fly.

The deer wasn’t the only animal that had made a home for itself in the forest. Others had flocked here, shunning the bleak, arid lands that surrounded her pocket of nature in favour of sweet grass and berries. Birds had been swift to make their nests in the trees that were always heavy with fruit. The vast swaths of flowers that formed a patchwork quilt across the forest floor provided nectar for the bees and butterflies, and other insects.

This place was her haven. A place where she could be alone.

Two of her maidens erupted into giggles a short distance away, reminding her that she was never alone.

Wherever she went, they followed, but she didn’t mind them. Unlike her mother, they didn’t try to oppress her or marry her off to some halfwit god who happened to have offered the best price in exchange for her hand. As if she was meat in a market. She glanced at her maidens and smiled at their antics as they threaded flowers in Mira’s dark hair, weaving them into the circle of plaits that formed a crown on her head. It was a comfort to have them around her. They were her closest confidants, and seemingly her only allies.

A bee buzzed past her and she tracked it with her gaze, savouring how alive with activity the forest was now, but how peaceful it was at the same time.

Around her, birds sang and insects chirped. Persephone breathed deep of the warm air, tasting dew despite the dusty lands that enclosed the lush pocket of green she had been working hard to create on the coastline. The mortals who lived near this place called it the end of the world, and it had been a barren place before she had decided to transform it into something the mortals would no longer fear.

Did they come here?

She liked to think they did, and hoped they wouldn’t destroy it in their pursuit of wood and meat, and would enjoy it as it was. For once, she wanted someone to see what she could do and find it beautiful and special.

She paused halfway through picking a crimson flower and lifted her head to gaze at the bright green glade nestled among the verdant trees.

A breeze swept through the forest, carrying the scent of the sea, and she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the coast, catching a glimpse of the turquoise water. A vision of when she had first set foot in this place filled her mind, the woods disappearing around her. When she had seen the waves breaking against the rocks and the clear water sparkling in the sunshine, she had been bewitched.

There was such raw power here. Strength. But beauty too.

She had stood near the edge, as close as she had dared to get to the water, ignoring the pleas of her maidens as they had tried to get her to move back to a safer distance. The waves had pounded the rocks only feet from her, spraying her with salt water, but she hadn’t been afraid.

She had been exhilarated.

She had raised her arms and welcomed the tempest, letting it break over her, letting it make her feel alive.

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